An electronic coupon distribution system that takes into account user demographics is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/451,160, entitled “Electronic Coupon Distribution System,” filed Nov. 30, 1999, which application is incorporated herein by reference. The selection of electronic coupons for distribution can be based on various criteria, such as the number of times a given coupon is printed or redeemed, as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/134,048, entitled “Searching A Database Including Prioritizing Results Based on Historical Data,” filed May 19, 2005, which application is incorporated herein by reference.
Some conventional electronic coupon distribution systems present coupon offers on web pages. Coupon offers are matched with the general content of the web page, and are typically presented in an advertisement (ad) space (e.g., ad box, banner ad or pop-window). The ad space tends to clutter the user's display screen and interfere with the readability of the web page content. Moreover, some users may be annoyed by such presentation devices making them less inclined to use the coupons or the web page. Other users may simply ignore the coupons because they do not appear relevant to the content of the web page.